TIPS for Exploring, and STORIES about Traveling
Here you will find ideas — from people who live in the area and from others — for having fun in-and-around Boston.
from Kristen Broughton:
There is lots to do in Boston, and also on the North Shore, including Peabody/Essex Museum in Salem – Foote Brothers Canoe/Kayak Rentals in Ipswich – Crane Estate where you can "experience the grandeur of a seaside estate and its marvelously landscaped grounds, notable for a broad, undulating lawn running down to the shore" of Cranes Beach that I think is the best beach on the north shore! (although maybe this is because I live right near it)
from Craig Rusbult:
I've been to Boston (and Gordon) twice, think it's a great city (and area) to explore.
In July 2000, after a great day in New York City — getting lost, double parking, finding a parking spot twice, visiting a friend, art museum, and 5th Ave (you can use your imagination to fill in many wonderful details) — I drove to Boston for my first adventure there, driving around the west side and stopping for awhile to explore MIT & Harvard, then did a Boston Left Turn (it's one of my three stories about Boston Drivers) while driving to Fenway Park and walking around it, before driving onward to Gordon College for ASA's Annual Meeting.
In August 2009, there was more time for adventures in and around Gordon College, visiting ASA people and Ipswich (location of ASA's office until 2014) and Singing Beach, Newburyport (seaport with a boardwalk and boats, a downtown with lots of flowers and a European "feel"), a drive thru the countryside to Gloucester, and more. On the final day, after a train ride to North Station I walked-and-ran 10 miles around Boston, before running out of time. I saw many fascinating places — wandering around, thru Public Market, Freedom Trail up to Old North Church, State House,* Boston Common, Fenway Park, down the Charles River and back, then to MIT (including its Tour) before going to BOS and flying home to Madison — but most explorations were done too quickly, not with the detailed slow appreciation they deserved. And for the second time, I missed the Fenway Park Tour (story photos reviews) due to not enough time, although in 2009 the tour would not have been complete because on that day it excluded the Green Monster due to a concert by Paul McCartney.
* I've enjoyed visiting many state capitals, in MT, ND, MN, WI (my favorite), IA, OK, CA, WA, and MA, plus Washington DC.
National Jugglers Festival and Entertainment Show
In 2018, the International Juggler's Association (IJA) will have its annual IJA Festival in Springfield, MA, July 16-22, the week before ASA's Meeting. This timing might work well if you will be spending time in the Northeast, in Boston & elsewhere, before the ASA Meeting. I think you would enjoy it. For information, go to IJA Festival and explore the mouse-over tab for FESTIVAL. If you're not a juggler,* I recommend buying a Daily Spectator Pass (to watch a wide variety of activities, juggling & more, and talk with people who are doing amazing things) for $7, and see a public stage show – a Cascade of Stars Show (Saturday, July 21, 8 pm, $40) or, earlier with a different style & emphasis, Welcome Show (Tuesday, July 17, 8 pm, $35). (pricing)
Also in Springfield, MA, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
My Festivals: I began juggling in 1977 (on 7-7-77), immediately became an enthusiastic juggler, went to seven IJA Festivals, in 1979 (Eugene, OR), 1980 (Fargo, ND State), 1981 (Cleveland, Case Western), 1982 (UC Santa Barbara), 1983 (SUNY-Purchase), 1986 (San Jose State), and 2001 (Madison, WI).
* If you want to learn, ask a local juggler to teach you, or watch you-tube videos, or read about my Do-It-Yourself Juggling course for U of WA Experimental College, and the intro for my booklet (for how to do it yourself), an explanation of why learning how to juggle took me 12 years & 45 minutes, and links for my juggling video and more-entertaining videos of The Flying Karamazov Brothers.
Here are three stories.
• First, in Seattle during the 1974 Christmas Season, a fellow USPS worker said that on the West Coast (LA, Seattle) drivers usually behaved well by respecting shared expectations for lane-behaviors, but in Boston “your space” was whatever you could convince other drivers they would be wise to give you. (maybe true, maybe not, these were just his observations)
Then before my trip in 2000, I shared my concerns about driving in Boston, and got two responses:
• A woman from Boston explained "the attitude" by saying "Boston drivers are on a mission — they want to get from here to there quickly & safely, and although they're not trying to be rude, being polite isn't a high priority, it just doesn't matter much to them — so try to help them achieve their mission and you'll be fine." (as above, this is just her observations)
• Loren Haarsma (who met his wife Deborah Haarsma while they were attending Harvard & MIT) told me about a local custom. If you're the first car stopped at a light and you're turning left, if you turn on your blinker the oncoming cars will expect you to turn left immediately when the light turns green. If you don't do this, they will be confused and irritated, because they're waiting for you to quickly turn, are wondering why you don't. The cars behind you also will be irritated, because if you don't turn you're making them wait on you, instead of being able to continue driving forward. This situation happened for me in 2000, on a street near Harvard. I was the first car at a stoplight, with left-turn signal on, watching the traffic light (and cross traffic) so I could anticipate, and the instant it turned green I quickly turned left. Everything happened the way Loren said it would, with no criticizing-honks by oncoming cars. (Earlier, Loren said that he did this successfully in Grand Rapids, but only once, because a passenger, more experienced with driving in Michigan, said "what are you doing?" and then "that might be OK in Boston, but not here." :<)
a story, in a page with links to "other stories" -- https://www.barclaycardtravel.com/t5/Travel-Stories/The-Magic-Man-of-Boston-Common/ba-p/2348400